


(bad at) loving you

by glassbones



Series: road that leads you home [1]
Category: French History RPF, Hamilton - Miranda, Historical RPF
Genre: Best of Wives and Best of Women, Character Study, F/M, Gen, JFC - Freeform, Lafayette Is Not Tall Dark & Mysterious, M/M, biromantic ace adrienne, give me in-character lafayettes or give me death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-20
Updated: 2016-01-20
Packaged: 2018-05-15 03:04:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5768929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glassbones/pseuds/glassbones
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>side-fic that explores adrienne's personality and the emotional turmoil behind lafayette's departure from france</p>
            </blockquote>





	(bad at) loving you

**Author's Note:**

> AN: adrienne was gilbert's wife. theirs was an arranged marriage, as was the custom in the aristocratic society back then. when she met gilbert, adrienne was 13 and already a rather bright girl, her mother having raised her well enough (she actually provided good education to the de noailles girls, which was a rarity these days). gilbert was a tall, clumsy boy with unruly red hair. they connected instantly, their respective parents having cleverly arranged it so adrienne and gilbert would "accidentally" meet from time to time. adrienne's father took to gilbert instantly, letting him join his dragoons and quickly advance in the military career. in a few years, gilbert returned to paris and married adrienne. she was hopelessly devoted to him ever since, having endured through labor, separation, depression, anxiety, imprisonment, and illness that she never quite recovered from, and still kept her loyalty. lafayette first left his wife for america when henriette, their first child, was just a baby. he wasn't there when henriette died two years later, nor when anastasie was born  
> after having to cope with both her grandmother, mother, and sister, die on the echafaud, adrienne was under house arrest for two years, then imprisoned for two more, while gilbert was rotting in his own prison. after having been released, she and her daughters willingly followed gilbert back into prison, where they spent two more years. because of the terrible conditions adrienne was forced to be in, due to a lack of movement adrienne's blood circulation was affected to the point her limbs swelled so much she couldn't walk. she had to be carried to anastasie's wedding (to a fellow olmutz prisoner and gilbert's acquaintance juste-charles de fay) in 1798. meanwhile, adrienne's son georges was safely in france with washington
> 
> all these historical facts (not to mention her obvious devotion to her children and husband, or her contemporaries' accounts of her character) speak of an immensely brave and strong woman who was willing to go through anything if it meant reuniting with her loved ones. not gifted with a particular beauty (dark hair, ordinary features, except for her large and emotional eyes), adrienne compensated that by being the best wife someone as absent as gilbert could ever deserve. this fic is elaborating on her personality, as underrepresented as she is in the fandom, and her relationship with gilbert & george

Her mother agrees to take Henriette and Anastasie for the weekend. Adrienne spends the ride back from her parents' house in deep thought her lips pressed into a thin line.  
Tomorrow, Gilbert flies back to America.

His departure is of no surprise to her, the ticket having been bought months in advance. He almost returned it a few weeks prior to this day; Adrienne managed to talk him out of it.

Her parents think Adrienne and him are going to spend the weekend alone because they want to get some rest, the two children demanding most of Adrienne's attention and all of her energy ever since Anastasie was born. It's not the reason.

Gilbert leaves Sunday evening.

* * *

_Sharon van Etten_ comes on shuffle, taking her out of her meditation. She stabs the power button with her finger almost immediately, angrily blinking the tears out of her eyes.

Now is not the time for this, not that there will be time for emotional meltdowns in her foreseeable future.

When she stops outside their building at _Rue de Rivoli_ , Adrienne has to sit in silence for a full minute before grabbing her bag and leaving the car. Her eyes are still slightly red around the edges, but at least she has the excuse of having to juggle two children and a moving car for a whole hour.

Taking a deep breath, Adrienne greets the concierge and enters the building of _Hôtel de Noailles_ , head held up high. The familiar surrounding calms her immediately, the noise and the light of her family's hotel that she has known and loved since childhood.

Someone from the staff calls out for her. She automatically adjusts her hair and turns her attention to the person calling.

Each in its own time, saying goodbye to Gilbert included. This is nothing she can't do.

**Author's Note:**

> haha that's one big AN i'm hopeless
> 
> the thing will be updated very sporadically since it's more of a character study than actual fic but i'm pretty certain i'll continue writing it. as always, feedback and your thoughts on adrienne are appreciated. i'm still taking submissions; constructive criticism is highly appreciated as always


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